I was doing a lot of thinking, a big weakness I see the Clippers have is our defense and athleticism on the wing. Redick isn't great defensively or an athletic monster, which is fine cause he's a great shooter and has great IQ of the game. On the other hand, Jared Dudley, is very inconsistent with his performances, is slow on defense, barely cuts or gets to the rim, and is simply not explosive.

This is where Bullock comes in. If we develop him the way Popovich and Scott Brooks developed half of their players, I think Bullock can be very special and a very good small forward in our league. He seems quicker on defense, is a great 3 point shooter, is much more athletic, (can get to rim and defend better) , and would be a much better rebounder than Dudley. At that point, Dudley can go back to his comfortable position and come off the bench, he can maybe be the spark he was for the Suns for us. He's at best a 2nd string 3-guard. For the long run and to win a championship, we need to start developing Bullock now and for the future.

Let me know your thoughts, and if you agree or disagree.

Agent0

01/19/2014 - 03:21 PM PST

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Posts: 6773

Bullock isn't ready or good enough yet to be a starter. Maybe after playing his role this season and then developing over the summer he can come in to training camp and battle for that spot, but there's no reason to just hand him a starting spot.

Diamond909

01/19/2014 - 03:25 PM PST

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Location: Clipper Nation

I agree and like the part about having dudley coming off the bench.

AirGriffin

01/19/2014 - 03:25 PM PST

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Posts: 792

Sometimes the best way to get experience is to be thrown into the wild. I was watching the Lakers game earlier, and who would've thought Ryan Kelly could play so well only being in the league for a matter of months! It's all about trust and confidence, if we never give it a shot you will never know. Why wait? So many players in this league never shine or play at their full potential because they don't get enough playing time and minutes to find their niche! If we want to see big results sometimes we need to take big risks. It's that simple.

MunoValente

01/19/2014 - 03:30 PM PST

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Posts: 636

If we wanted to start someone over Dudley, why wouldn't it be Barnes? Doc keeps starting Dudley though, so he must be mostly ok with what Dudley is doing.

We're 28-14 despite a whole bunch of injuries, we don't really need to do anything drastic or overly risky.

AirGriffin

01/19/2014 - 03:37 PM PST

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Posts: 792

Look at our fluke games though that could of been easily a loss, that one Minnesota game, our most recent Mavericks win, etc. It seems a decent amount of our games have been really close and some won with luck to be extremely fair and unbiased.

And if you look at a majority of ALL of our games, Dudley barely scorers 10+ points. This type of performance will not consistently beat the Spurs, Heat, Pacers, etc. Lol, I'm no Doc Rivers but Dudley's performances as of late will not be enough if that's how he shows up to play in the playoffs. Think BIG PICTURE. Dudley might just be the person that is hindering us to reach the next level. I'm not saying magically Bullock will be, I'm just saying its a risk worth taking. If he played above and beyond of expectations we can only benefit from experimentation, cause to be quite honest, Dudley is BARELY getting his job done.

david

01/19/2014 - 04:07 PM PST

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Posts: 9628

Added a poll- who do you guys think should start at Small Forward for the Clippers? I don't have a problem with Dudley starting vs 3's who are not very quick. But quick, athletic wings can cause havoc for the Clipper D if Dudley is the defender. I'm not sure if Bullock is up to the challenge yet, but eventually I think he has the capability to take over the starting spot. Barnes is up to the task defensively, but his jumper is a little suspect.

DocHollywood

01/19/2014 - 04:07 PM PST

Posts: 327

Location: Honolulu

Dudley is playing fine for what we are paying and for what we realistically should expect of him, especially coming off of injury. 10 ppg is exactly what we want and need out of him. What makes you think Reggie could suddenly step in midseason and score 10 ppg as a STARTER? Look at Dudley's stats and percentages. He is our best pure shooter up to now. He is finally now getting back to form as his knee heals and you're ready to replace him with a rookie? Melo went 4/26 or whatever the other night with Dudley on him. Halfway through the regular season is not a good time to just suddenly demote the teams most efficient shooter. I'd like to see Bullock take some of Barnes' minutes if anything.

Agent0

01/19/2014 - 04:24 PM PST

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Well a team like the Lakers is in the position to do that, especially with injuries etc. If Bullock shows in practice that he is a better player / fit for the starting lineup than those guys, then sure.

Conversely, a good way to kill a players confidence is also to throw him to the Wolves and have him not succeed just as not showing any faith in him could also accomplish. Depends on the player and their mentality and emotional state. Right now, Bullock is being eased in, Doc is showing confidence in him, but isn't handing anything to him. If he earns it, he earns it.

A_DOG_NAMED_BUD

01/19/2014 - 04:47 PM PST

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Posts: 1495

If Bullock proves that he actually deserves playing time and plays well, then maybe I could support this idea. As of now, he's definitely not done enough to start.

worm

01/19/2014 - 05:45 PM PST

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Posts: 1241

He is not yet ready to be a starter give him more one full season of playing,he will get there.

ClipperPostman

01/19/2014 - 05:48 PM PST

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Posts: 3201

This is the reason we have head coaches to made decisions like this.

Not trying to rain on anyones parade, but Starting a rookie

who has barely seen any action, barely coming off an injury

where he has missed a significant amount of games is down right

insane.

I like what I have seen from Bullock so far, and I def believe he

can develop into a starter in this league, but right now he

definitely isn't ready to take on the responsibility of 33+ minutes

a game going against the likes of Lebron James, Kevin Durant,

Rudy Gay, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Igudaula, etc...

That's a tall order for a young guy with 0 experience.

Dudley isn't doing to bad IMO. If anything I'd start Barnes, but

like I said Dudley's defensive has been pretty good.

pageC4

01/19/2014 - 06:36 PM PST

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Posts: 4809

AirGriffin wrote:

Look at our fluke games though that could of been easily a loss, that one Minnesota game, our most recent Mavericks win, etc. It seems a decent amount of our games have been really close and some won with luck to be extremely fair and unbiased.
And if you look at a majority of ALL of our games, Dudley barely scorers 10+ points. This type of performance will not consistently beat the Spurs, Heat, Pacers, etc. Lol, I'm no Doc Rivers but Dudley's performances as of late will not be enough if that's how he shows up to play in the....

I don't think he's ready and maybe he would get to start if the Clips were in rebuild mode but that is just not where the team is at so I don't reckon it will happen. Dudley does seem to be the weak link in the chain right now so I can see why people are trying to suggest alternatives...................like starting the rookie. Doesn't mean it will happen though!

DocHollywood

01/19/2014 - 07:32 PM PST

Posts: 327

Location: Honolulu

Dudley is noticeably improved these last couple of weeks in terms of his foot speed. His shooting and defense is improving too which should come as no surprise. If he was playing WORSE I could understand trying Barnes in his place. Let Doc decide if Bullock is better suited to starting then Dudley. I have no reason to think it would be a wise gamble from what I've seen.

Agent0

01/19/2014 - 07:38 PM PST

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Posts: 6773

I could understand this if Bullock was killing it in the minutes he was getting, but Bullock has shown flashes, but also shown that he's still a rookie adjusting, so the logic behind it doesn't really make sense except for "let's just try it out and see". Coaches generally don't do that unless they are desperate, and the coach of a 28-14 is most likely not feeling very desperate.

ClipperKyle32

01/19/2014 - 07:51 PM PST

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Posts: 3330

Can we cut Dudley some freaking slack! Dang. He has went against 2 of the best Small Forwards in the league right now in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Caron didn't even get this much....

This is true, teams contain great players, not individuals by themselves, the individual is only the final piece, and sometimes by "contain", all we mean is not let them kill you.

All the guys we said guarded Lebron well in the playoffs still had a beating put on them in terms of his statistical production.

Look at the stats of Paul George against a lot of good SF's that I posted in the trade thread, it kind of gives us an idea of how difficult it is to contain these kind of players

Paul George vs Rudy Gay (34 mins):

31 pts, 10/18 FG, 4/7 3PT

Paul George vs Carmelo (33 mins):

25 pts, 8/16 FG, 4/8 3PT

Paul George vs Lebron James (42 mins):

25 pts, 8/16 FG, 2/6 3PT

Paul George vs Jeff Green (28 mins):

24 pts, 9/13 FG, 3/6 3PT

Paul George vs Durant (36.5 mins):

32 pts, 9/17 FG, 4/6 3PT

Paul George vs Kawhi (36.5 mins):

28 pts, 9/14 FG, 4/4 3PT

Paul George vs Batum (38 mins):

43 pts, 16/30 FG, 7/15 3PT

Paul George vs LAC (36 mins):

36 pts, 12/17 FG, 5/6 3PT

namzug

01/19/2014 - 08:21 PM PST

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Posts: 1370

Location: So Cal

I personally prefer bullock at the 2, but don't mind him at the 3.

Don't think he's ready, and it could definitely be dangerous in terms of what you could do to our chemistry. If it works then great, but if not you probably upset duds and Barnes at the same time. That is a lot of risk and pressure to put on the shoulders of a rookie.

I personally would prefer a trade that gets us a Wilson Chandler and better back up big. If we could get Jeff green which I think is impossible we would be set. I don't see either happening, I do think a trade might happen but unsure who would be involved (not Blake, CP, DJ,or JJ)

pageC4

01/19/2014 - 08:56 PM PST

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Posts: 4809

Chandler is a popular player. his numbers look good, but I don't see the nuggets giving him to us without something sizeable in return. still I would be all for exploring a trade to get him here. I think cashdid proposed Chandler + Arthur for Dudley + Crawford.

pageC4

01/19/2014 - 09:04 PM PST

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Posts: 4809

Leave Dudley Alone!!!!

pageC4

01/19/2014 - 09:28 PM PST

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Of course not. Doc is running the show, we don't expect anything to happen..we're just voicing opinions.

What I can't understand though is the lack of acknowledgement from Doc that we need a bench big. I wonder if he's simply playing coy or really doesn't feel we need one

Dudley has been better in every department except rebounding. Considering he's playing against the elite forwards in the game (with DJ and Blake grabbing boards) and Reggie is going against other 3rd stringers in garbage time, there is absolutely no reason to think that at this point he would give us anything Dudley isn't.

Dudley has also been injured and played out of position due to necessity (basically, Mullens being dogshit). Anybody who was expecting a star for $4million is seriously misguided. He was brought in to space the floor for Blake and CP, and to average his career 10ppg. He hasn't played the best ball of his career, but I'd rather see that in April, May and June.

I'll take the 45/37% shooter over the 37/28% shooter, thanks.

It's a stupid idea that would make the Clips look like they're panicking. The kid is a project.

letitbled

01/19/2014 - 11:44 PM PST

Clipper 6th Man

Posts: 117

I like the idea of giving Bullock more of Dudley's minutes and if that means starting him then so be it. Dudley means well but his game is a fraud.

DocHollywood

01/19/2014 - 11:48 PM PST

Posts: 327

Location: Honolulu

Seriously, Dudley is playing fine under the circumstances. If he was totally healthy and making $8mil like Caron was then people could whine about his play. Speaking of which, Caron's numbers were awfully similar last year. If we want a better sf then we can pay for it like everyone else around the league. Trading Jamal would be part of any deal so wrap your heads around that before bitching about our 4mil starting 3.

CapsNClips

01/20/2014 - 12:04 AM PST

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Posts: 5338

Here's a thought. How about no?

clips4life32

01/20/2014 - 01:09 AM PST

Clipper Starter

Posts: 306

Bullock hasn't proven to me that he should start over Dudley. He's been injured with the ankle sprain and frankly, hasn't given me any reason why I want him in front of Dudley. I think that this can be more debatable when next season comes around, but in all honestly, Dudley being 45% FG and 37% 3PT for someone that primarily shoots jump shots is not bad. His point average may not be high, but he only take an average of 7 FGA per game. Dudley is meeting my expectations. I wasn't expecting superstar numbers from him, just solid production as a role player.

clipperboy24

01/20/2014 - 03:43 AM PST

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Posts: 4977

Dudley is really playing terrible for a starting SF and no his defense is not currently good. He has the potential to play good defense but has not shown the consistent effort or the commitment such as not cheating to get a steal or boxing his man out or fighting through screens or my pet peeve not leaving the 3 pt shooters wide open on the perimeter.

Bullock is a better defender and rebounder and I like his shot better especially his quick release. It would make a lot of sense to try and grow him at least in a more prominent role but he would probably fit the starters better since there would be less focus on him and he isn't afraid to take the open shot (see Dudley). He actually has potential to get better while Dudley... Well I think we all know the answer to that.

clipperboy24

01/20/2014 - 03:49 AM PST

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Posts: 4977

Sorry but this comparison shows what a failure the per 36 stat can be. Bullock has barely been given an opportunity and to have to multiply (whether it produces good or bad) often doesn't translate. Some players perform a lot better than other with heavy minutes while others can't handle the payload of the minutes. We have barely seen what bullock will do with an increased workload but he looked solid right before the injury so maybe ease him back in a for a few games and if continues to show solid play then give him a shot.

It's not like Dudley has been good let alone great

kjavis

01/20/2014 - 05:26 AM PST

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Posts: 1597

Y'all preaching like reggie will flip a switch and play like RotY once you give him the keys to the start, as inconsistent duds has been at least we know he can play better, shoot better etc i would rather persist with him with the PO in mind hope he has more rhythm to his game by then.

reggie has proven little to nothing to this point, so unless duds gets injured there's no need to rock the boat, seriously some of y'all smacking the panic button just because we got blown out by the no.1 team last night lol

Heediot

01/20/2014 - 05:50 AM PST

Clipper Starter

Posts: 958

I agree let him learn by fire. He is very level headed and mature for a rookie as well, I think he can handle a few bumps.

Heediot

01/20/2014 - 05:53 AM PST

Clipper Starter

Posts: 958

Good points in this post, we should switch up in accordance to match-ups. It's not like we have prima-donnas at the 3 spot, it seems all three would sacrifice for the greater good and won't be a lock-room hazard if this is done.

just saw the trade cleveland and clippers would jettison the players they wanted. I like this, but I man Denver would be getting shafted on this trade

clipperboy24

01/20/2014 - 10:45 AM PST

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Posts: 4977

And what has Dudley proven? He has had two decent years in his career and the rest really not great. This year is one of his worst. So how would putting reggie in there require him to be ROY for us to be successful. It's pretty strange that people talking about taking Dudley being taken out as some huge burden that would be out on our starting lineup, almost as if we aren't watching the same game.

ClipperDB

01/20/2014 - 11:19 AM PST

Clipper Starter

Posts: 366

The Reggie Bullock starting argument reminds me of old football adage. "The most popular player (among fans) on a football team is the 2nd string QB."

DocHollywood

01/20/2014 - 12:35 PM PST

Posts: 327

Location: Honolulu

Clipperboy at it again with the same old "Dudley hasn't proven anything" when his career shooting percentages say otherwise smh.

pageC4

01/20/2014 - 12:42 PM PST

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Posts: 4809

His shooting % is high, but when you only take 4 shots a game you aren't making a significant contribution for our offense. Shooting % isn't the only way to evaluate a player

DocHollywood

01/20/2014 - 12:54 PM PST

Posts: 327

Location: Honolulu

Yeah no kidding shooting percentage isn't the only relevant stat. It's kind of a big one when you're talking about wings though. Look at the numbers Agent0 posted above. Dudley's worst season of his career and he still smokes the rookie in everything but rebounding. Dudley's been playing against starters while Bullock hasn't making the stats even more revealing. Dudley bingo against Detroit right as I type this lol. And we don't want Dudley or anyone taking bad shots (Jamal). Dudley was brought in to shoot when open and score about 10ppg.....so, what's the problem?

MunoValente

01/20/2014 - 01:13 PM PST

Clipper Starter

Posts: 636

In this case though, it's the third string quarterback. Barnes starting today, which is fine, he's the logical choice if you think Dudley needs a rest or isn't playing up to snuff or just want to balance your lineups different.

pageC4

01/20/2014 - 01:35 PM PST

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Posts: 4809

The problem is he's not scoring the 10PPG. I'm the biggest Dudley detractor, and I understand that he's a role player. I'm certainly not calling for 15-20 points from him, but a solid 10-12 points is what he should be doing. Our record when he scores 10 points or more is amazing, and despite what people may think his performances really affect this squad.

Now performance is subjective. There are people who are satisfied with his performance thus far, but I'm not. During his last 3 seasons with Phoenix he posted up 10.6 PPG, 12.7 PPg, and 10.9 PPG. This year he's posting 8.7 PPG so he's underperforming in my opinion.

Now opinions differ from member to member. I think its cool that Dudley is making you happy as well as others, and folks here are welcome to express that view, but as with many other topics on CTB you will always find people with differing opinions. Myself and others not happy with Dudleys performance is just simply another opinion.

AirGriffin

01/20/2014 - 01:59 PM PST

Clipper Starter

Posts: 792

Exactly.

And to whoever said docs defense is more based off team defense that's true, but if Dudley has a hard time staying in front of his man that will lead to other SFs to constantly live at the free throw line. Individual defesne is very important and if you don't agree then I don't know what to say.

DocHollywood

01/20/2014 - 02:03 PM PST

Posts: 327

Location: Honolulu

He's been hurt and has averaged nine instead of 10. Nuff said.

AirGriffin

01/20/2014 - 02:07 PM PST

Clipper Starter

Posts: 792

And to everyone defending Dudley, how any lay-ups has he missed this season? Lol, I lost count.

Don't get me wrong I like Dudley, I just think he's had far too many shortcomings in his defense and offense.

It's just absurd to me when I brought up the fluke games too and people bring up our record like we shouldn't be panicking we've had way too many close games and we almost nearly lost that Minnesota and Mavs game just to name some off the top of the head. I'm just saying, maybe I have higher expectations for this Clippers cause I know what their potential is. We need to play at our highest level consistently to beat the Spurs,

Pacers, OKC, Heat, etc.

MunoValente

01/20/2014 - 02:08 PM PST

Clipper Starter

Posts: 636

Dudley's defense is fine, he might be the best perimeter defender on the team. Rivers uses him on defense on offense/defense switches at the end of games. Our three point shooting defense is much improved this year.

His rebounding is weak though, Barnes was a good choice against a big tough team like Detroit. Over the course of their careers Barnes and Dudley are similar caliber players, but with different strengths and weaknesses; the best thing is likely alternating them depending on match ups and who is hot or not.

clipperboy24

01/20/2014 - 02:12 PM PST

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Posts: 4977

His perimeter defense sucks. His guys almost always make a few wide open 3 pointers a game.

Tonight a perfect example of how Dudley can play better be is putting a full effort because he got benched. Too bad he isn't self motivated.